2013 Atlanta Hawks endure their toughest back-to-back of the Playoff Preparation Point of the Season, Crash Dwight Howard Homecoming Afterparty by Defeating the Lakers 96-92, Dahntay Jones Intentionally Injures Kobe Bryant!!...Right.

Honestly tell me, did you think these Atlanta Hawks had ANY chance against a Miami Heat team thats on a LeBron-led Wade County franchise-high 18 game winning streak in the peak season of Playoff Preparation MARCH MADNESS?!?

 I still really actually believe the Hawks can almost at any time #ShocktheWorld and beat a #ChampionshipCalibur team EVEN as currently constructed (which of course them WINNING the championship as currently constructed is a err...long goal) the BIGGEST DEAL about this 34-29 Hawks vs 33-30 Lakers Wednesday, March 13 game is (besides the Models Basketball League pre-game game ^_^) is our #truechampionship potential MISSING PIECE #franchiseplayer is coming off the BIGGEST GAME OF HIS CAREER (39 points 16 rbs 3 blks as a Los Angeles Lakers #rental) and is now back in his HOMETOWN where all eyes will be on Dwight Howard vs. Best Friend soon-to-to-co-free-agent Josh Smith.

Well, the Hawks did indeed SHOCK THE WORLD against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday! With a 96-92 victory and a severely sprained Kobe Bryant ankle, the resilient Atlanta Hawks topped with Lakers without the services of Jeff Teague, Josh Smith, Lou Williams, Deshawn Stevenson, and Zaza Pachulia. What has been lost in a sea of media coverage about the Kobe Bryant ankle injury, the play that created this situation, and whether or not it was intentional is the fact that a starting line-up of Devin Harris, Dahntay Jones, Anthony Tolliver, Al Horford, and Johan Petro totally OUTEXECUTED the Lakers league of Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Earl Clark, and Dwight Howard. AND the Hawks bench outscored the Lakers 39-16 thanks to the likes of Kyle Korver (15), Ivan "The Terrible" Johnson (12), rookie John Jenkins(12), and 10-day contract Shelvin Mack(7).

Its hard to even pick a PLAYER OF THE GAME for the Hawks because it was such a balanced team effort, something the Lakers are still learning, but if we had to pick one it would have to be Al Horford, playing a team-high 41 minutes for 14 pts (7/12 FGs) 14 rbs 4 asts. He should have gotten AT LEAST 20 FGA but the Hawks played to their strengths and got the win (FAIR AND SQUARE, KOBE BRYANT!)
Don't be mad at me, just ask Steve Nash how they lost this game:

"We just didn't make any shots, I feel like I killed us tonight. I had good looks at the basket. I didn't convert."

 Steve Nash was 4/14 from the field, one of the things that led to a 55-43 Hawks lead at halftime. Kobe Bryant was having a tough game by halftime, 3 points on 1/8 shooting, and EVERYBODY expected Kobe to erupt in the 3rd, which he did, kind of... 20 points in the 3rd and the Lakers won the 3rd quarter 31-21 but the healthly lead build by the Hawks in the 1st half proved to be a solid foundation, the Hawks won the 4th quarter 20-18 on several great plays by Devin Harris, Kyle Korver, even Johan Petro and Ivan Johnson(!!). Ivan made a HUGE play down the stretch, with the Hawks leading 90-87 Al Horford drove along the baseline and missed the shot. But he hustled for the rebound and knocked it right to Johnson under the basket. He flipped in a reverse layup with 33.3 seconds remaining, pushing the Hawks ahead 92-87.

"I can't believe we are losing to the Hawks, gotdamn u Dwight!"

It was a gutsy win, but the aftermath of this victory caused a firestorm of debate. Kobe Bryant took to TWITTER (@KobeBryant) and complained that the last-play defense by Dahntay Jones was an INTENTIONAL FOUL!

#dangerousplay that should have been called. Period.

Dahntay Jones REPLIED on Twitter:

"Tape doesn't lie. Ankle was turned on the floor after the leg kick out that knocked him off balance. I would never try to hurt the man"

 "Leg kick that makes contact with a defensive player is an offense foul. Period. The nba changed that rule 2 yrs ago. Stop it!"

"I have the utmost respect for @kobebryant I would never try to intentionally hurt him. Just wanted to contest the fadeaway #thatsall"

 As a Hawks say I say "HA! Thats what you get!" but as a basketball fan I hate to see one of the G.O.A.T.s get injured on a freak accident during the LAST SECOND of the game with his team down by 2, but it looks like the NBA is making Dahntey Jones a SCAPEGOAT for this Lakers loss, as if the entire game came down to that one play, Kobe was going to MISS regardless! Nothing Jones did altered the shot whatsoever. So the Hawks go on to a 35-29 record, good for 5th in the east thus far, if the Eastern Conference stays in the same standings (it wont) we will be facing the Iso-Joe Brooklyn Nets in the 1st round of the playoffs! Now THAT would be a good series, the world gave the Hawks NO CHANCE against any playoff opponent during the Joe Johnson era, this first year without him, Hawks perception is not going to change, but a PLAYOFF UPSET could upset alot of people. Let's see the Hawks TURN UP for the Playoff-push season!

-WORLDinFAMOUS

After brilliant performance against Utah, Josh Smith has terrible game letting the new-teammate Morris Brothers shine in a 87-92 Suns Win

Well, Josh Smith can only be Josh Smith.

 This is why it takes an enormous amount of patience and FAITH to be a 2012-2013 Atlanta Hawks fan. Josh Smith has continually improved in his handling of responsibilities and being a team leader, but just as soon as a fan gets excited about what we see, he has a dud game. 5 points on 2/11 FGs 0/5 3ptFGs 1/4 FTs 10 rbs 5 asts and 5 TOs is not a good stat line, Josh.

It didn't help it was the same night Jeff Teague had an off-night as well. 6 points (3/10 FGs) 1 ast 4 TOs 2 stls.

Al Horford has his 8th game in a row of 20+ points with 20 pts (8/16 FG3 2/2 3ptFGs!) And what's up with Al Horford hitting all these threes lately?! Could it be Al has a little Dirk in his blood?

It could have simply all been divine in order for the only pair of twin brothers in the NBA to shine as they finally have unexpectedly become teammates, due to a trade-deadline deal with the Houston Rockets.

Markieef Morris was drafted by the Suns with the 14th pick in the 2011 draft and admitted it was a bit difficult to get used to playing without his brother, Marcus, early in his career. He became a good impact player, but now these identical twin brothers will get the comfort and empowerment of playing with each other on an NBA-level, and the Atlanta Hawks were simply the latest victims of that, likely by accidentally taking this 13-32 Suns team lightly.

Hopefully, this game was the wake up call the Hawks needed in order for them to play well enough to defeat the 29-30 Kobe-Bryant-will-not-be-denied-.500 Los Angeles Lakers.

No All-Stars for the Hawks?! Thats okay, we'll still take 4th place in the Eastern Conference

What the hell is it gonna take for this franchise to earn some respect?! DWIGHT HOWARD?! He would probably fit right in with all the hate he has gotten this season, but the NBA coaches apparently weren't impressed by a 29-22 record, which was good for 5th in the Eastern Conference.

They weren't impressed with a career-reviving season from Al Horford, currently averaging 16.7 ppg 9.7 rpg 3.2 apg and 1.1 bpg, this season after suffering a SEASON-ENDING torn pectoral muscle last year.

They weren't impressed with Josh Smith's consistency and leadership, who's impact is MORE THAN THE STATS SHOW but still averaging 17.2 ppg 8.7 rpg 4.2 apg and 2.1 bpg

I don't know how they aren't impressed with Jeff Teague's emergence as a full-time primary ball-handler (They were impressed enough for him to be the ONLY HAWKS PLAYER DOING ANYTHING at All-Star Weekend, Skills competition), currently averaging 14.4 ppg 7.1 apg 1.5 apg on 45% FGs 37% 3ptFG and 87% FTs

Even KRACKER KORVER currently LEADING THE NBA IN 3 POINTERS MADE!! Was not even invited to the 3 point shoot out! Korver, acquired in an off-season trade with the Bulls, now understands the Hawks hate by the NBA, but there are no answers as to why.

 WHHHYYYYYY?!?!?! (i dont know, Kyle, I just dont know...)

How much better were the Hawks expected to be?? When Joe "$125M" Johnson was traded to the Brooklyn Billionaires (Nets) I recall several media outlets (ESPN, Sports Illustrated) predicting the Atlanta Hawks would be a LOTTERY TEAM, (they also predicted the Lakers would win about 70 games sooo....) In my humble perspective, the Hawks have OVER-ACHIEVED thus far! How could our franchise trade away half of our player payroll, our UNDISPUTED franchise player (very disputed, lol) and still make the be between 4th and 5th place in the Eastern Conference?! What kind of award do we get for trading away a SUPERSTAR (lol) getting ROLE PLAYERS in return, only ONE OF THOSE PLAYERS currently in rotation (Shout out to 2011 Champion DeShawn Stevenson!), and having a chance to IMPROVE OUR WINNING PERCENTAGE from last season!!

So what can we do to earn our respect? We aren't getting it from NBA coaches, we definitely aren't getting it from NBA referees (SHOUT OUT TO TIM DONAGHY!), hell we barely get respect from our hometown FANS!

The only way to get that respect is to win, and the Atlanta Hawks have been doing that lately through great defense and a balanced offense that lets all of the players shine, not just a cup of Joe...

Last 3 games
W 122-108 vs Kings MVP Jeff Teague 20 pts (8/18 FGs 5/5 FTs)12 asts & Al Horford 28 pts (11/14 FGs) 8 rbs 6 asts 2 blks
*3 players with over 20 points

W 103-102 vs Bucks MVP Al Horford 23 pts (11/22 FGs) 11 rbs 3 asts 2 stls 2 blks (with the GAME WINNING LAY-UP!) & Devin Harris 21 pts (7/11 FGs 4/5 3ptFGs)
*3 players with over 20 pts, Josh Smith with a double-double (15 pts 13 rbs 5 asts)

W 114-103 vs Pistons MVP Al Horford 23 pts (10/13 FGs) 22 rbs (CAREER-HIGH!) 3 asts 2 stls 2 blks & Jeff Teague 20 pts (6/13 FGs 2/4 3pt FGs) 12 asts
*Jeff Teague's 9th double-double of the season, one of the only point guards to post those numbers

Yeah, we lost to those Miami (c)Heaters when they scored a ridiculous 40 points in the 4th quarter, most of them while LeBron James was sitting on the bench, but that says more about their team than anything, beating the Miami Heat is a tall order for any team in the NBA right now, but I know that these Josh-Al-Jeff led PLAYOFFSHAWKS are not a team to be taken lightly this season.

Right now the Atlanta Hawks are 32-23, which is a half-game ahead of those Brooklynites for 4th place in the east.

Next game is tonight in the city of Salt Lake, this is one of the BIGGEST frontline teams in the NBA, let's see if we can help the Lakers playoff position tonight, shall we?


-WORLDinFAMOUS

Joe Johnson 34 points lead the Atlanta Hawks to a wire-to-wire WIN in NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs Round 2 Game 1, MVP Derrick Rose twists ankle

The Atlanta Hawks have made an epic upset against the 62-win, Coach of the Year, Most Valuable Player christened, well disciplined Chicago Bulls.

On the game of the recieving his Coach of the Year award and with official announcement on the MVP just made, the Atlanta Hawks essentially bullied and dominated the Chicago Bulls led by an amazing performance by Joe Johnson. Ric Bucher said it was easily the best performance of Joe Johnson's playoff career, and he was not exaggerating. 34 points 12 for 18 FGs 5 of 5 three-pointers 5 of 5 free throws, 4 rebounds 3 assists 3 steals.

The night Thibodeau is saluted as the league's top coach, it's Drew who orchestrated yet another Game 1 upset on the road against a higher-seeded team to give the Hawks their first playoff victory in the second round since 1997. And on the eve that Rose is expected to pick up the league's MVP award, it's Teague who came out of nowhere to help hound the explosive Bulls guard into a 2-for-10 start from the field that led to an 11-for-27 finish from Rose.

the Hawks outscored the Bulls 31-24 in the 4th quarter to ensure the win, an amazing showing of an improvement this post-season in clutch situations.

Just as Joe Johnson himself said, he doesn't get all the glory when they win and although it was a great efficient scoring game from him, it was a true team effort with good decisions from everybody, even Josh Smith despite his 3 for 11 shooting this game. He had 8 points 6 rebounds 4 assists and 4 HUGE blocks.

Jeff Teague started bravely and took the challenge of the MVP Derrick Rose, his 10 points 5 assists don't show the great defense he played and how he kept the tempo very well.

The LAST time the Hawks won a 2nd round playoff game was in 1997, when they beat a 1st seeded Bulls team... In the United Center...by a score of 103-95.

Jordan went for 12-29, 0-6 from 3.

Im sure that had to 'Shock the World' back then as well.

2011 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Round One: Hawks VS Magic Game 2 preview

Game 1 Recap

Dwight Howard: "I Hate losing, especially to the Hawks"
If Dwight Howard hates losing to the Hawks he may as well start thinking about joining them.


In a wildly epic Game 1 of this best-of-seven series, the Hawks controlled the entire game to a 103-93 victory. It was an amazing display of the Hawks' team advantages versus the Magic's and the Hawks obviously triumphed. Dwight Howard scored a playoff career-high 46 pts (16/22 FGs 14/22 FTs) grabbed 19 rbs but only mustered 1 block and 1 assist. Jameer Nelson scored 27 pts (10/18 FGs 4/7 3ptFGs) but only managed to dish 1 assist. The Atlanta Hawks emphasized their advantage with their execution of the motion-offense and their amazing shot-making abilities led by Joe Johnson 25 pts (9/16 FGs 7/8 FTs) Jamal Crawford 23 pts (7/14 FGs 4/7 3ptFGs ) Al Horford 16 pts (7/14 FGs ) and yes, even Josh Smith 15 pts (6/12 FGs 1/2 3ptFGs)

Those guys had an outstanding offensive game which surely is a large portion of the reason the Hawks won, but the win-shares are at least equal with the strong play of 2 defensive specialists, Jason Collins and Kirk Hinrich. Collins only played 18 minutes and scored a total of 6 fouls and 1 point but his defensive work against Howard played a large role in not allowing the Magic to make a comeback in the second half. Kirk Hinrich has always been known as a defensive specialist, but he even outplayed Nelson on offense in the first half.

We here @PlayoffsHAWKS are avid readers and supporters of Hoopinionblog.com an Atlanta Hawks analysis run on pessimism and truth (Hence the inconsistent optimism this blog was born from), and this game was a win so beautiful it may have for the first time prompted owner Brett LaGree to start a post by saying, "A tremendous win for the Atlanta Hawks."

Game 2 Preview

The Hawks played game 1 perfectly and now Orlando is forced to make adjustments.

Or maybe they won't. Because the Hawks played PERFECTLY, probably for the first time all season, and many naysayers are saying it is unlikely that the Hawks will submit another efficient offensive showcase like in Game 1. Its also unlikely Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson will score 73 points on 26/40 FGs . The truth of the matter is that the Atlanta Hawks have 6 players who can and most likely will average double figures, with 2 of those guys(Johnson and Crawford) are almost guaranteed at least 20 ppg. Not only does Atlanta have the personnel to defeat this team, they definitely have the confidence.

"Just to continue to do it with five guys, continue to make the right play giving up good shots for great shots. That's why we shot such a high percentage. Guys passed up some good shots but we got great shots in the long run, we worked the clock well. We will continue to do things well that were successful for us." --Jamal Crawford 4/19/11

Yes, the Atlanta Hawks seem to have a good game plan, it is absolutely astounding that the Hawks made 34/74 FGs and only 8 FGs were layups. While the Hawks will most likely stick to the script, the Magic are surely going to make some adjustments.

"Our whole focus has been on protect the paint and they haven't been looking to get to the rim a whole lot, containing perimeter jump shots and the Hawks mid-range shots are now our biggest concerns. Even the (Hawks') 51 percent (field goal percentage) was deceptive, because going into the fourth (quarter) they were at 58 percent and that's when the game was decided, so they really had their way with us. And we've got to be a lot better defensively, no matter what we do offensively. If we're going to have to score 105 or 106 points every night to win, then we're gonna be in trouble." -- Coach Stan Van Gundy 4/18/11

Coach Larry Drew seems very confident, but healthily concerned about the way his team won the game.

"We don't want to be a team that relies on just shooting jump shots... We like to open the floor up. It won't be a situation of us just settling for the perimeter. We've got to find that balance of inside-out. As dominant as Dwight is on the inside, we can't shy away from taking the ball to the basket. We have to be the aggressor."

So a few minor adjustments to look for in tonight's game:

• fast break points - Atlanta won the fast break battle 11-10 in Game 1 so look for the Hawks to run even more to challenge the Magic speed and athleticism, where they know they have an advantage
• rebounding - Dwight Howard is almost guaranteed to average 20 rpg because he always does in the post-season but look for Al and Josh to step up on the boards to tighten up that 40-29 advantage the Magic had in Game 1
• Marvin Williams - why not 7 players in double figures? Marvin scored 6 points on 2/3 FGs in Game 1 but also got 2 crucial steals and played excellent team defense, if he can get a few more points it will be difficult for Orlando to overcome

Do you think the Hawks are still excited with a Game 1 win and maybe they'll be satisfied with a 1-1 split going to Atlanta? Is taking a commanding 2-0 lead back to Phillips Arena too ambitious?

"Oh No. We came here with the objective to get two games, we put ourselves in this position and now we look forward to getting Game 2 on Tuesday night." --Jason Collins

ATL! O Le Do it.

2011 Eastern Conference Playoffs Round 1: Orlando Magic versus Atlanta Hawks, could be a monumental upset in the making

Ah, Yes. The NBA post-season, where amazing happens, rivalries are born, and championships are won. This 2011 NBA Playoffs should be one of the most exciting and unpredictable NBA fans have seen this 21st century, and although every matchup has a favorite, most underdog teams are perfectly capable of an upset.

The Atlanta Hawks have the most ability and the biggest opporitunity to make an upset in the 2011 post-season against the Orlando Magic.

No, the Atlanta Hawks have not looked ready to make such an upset in the regular season, they have looked confused, lethargic, and non-chalant on the court in many BIG regular season games this year, and that was even before one of the most foolish trades in Hawks franchise history; Kirk Hinrich for Mike Bibby, Jordan Crawford, and Mo Evans. They traded 2 solid rotation players and a starter for a role player, having gone 11-20 since that trade, many are saying these Atlanta Hawks look like the team they were in 2007-2008 before Mike Bibby arrived, a 37-win team.

But the Orlando Magic haven't been the Eastern conference championship contender that they have been in previous seasons. One reason is Orlando has not shoot the three-ball well in its regular-season games versus the Atlanta Hawks this year. In the four games(3-1 Hawks), the Magic shot 19-of-84 (22.6 percent) beyond the arc. The prevailing wisdom is that Jason Collins' one-on-one defense on Howard in the paint frees his teammates to stay closer to their men, denying them open attempts from long range.

Regardless of the defense, Dwight Howard is going to play well. Likewise, Al Horford is going to play well. Orlando knowns Jameer Nelson is going to play well.. is Joe Johnson going to play well? On the first year of the most salary-cap crippling contract in Hawks franchise history, Joe had the least productive season of his career. Of the past 23 games since the all-star break where Joe played at least 30 minutes he has only scored 20+ points in 5 games and the Hawks have gone 9-17. Jason Richardson is a streaky scorer, but he has younger legs than Vince Carter and he can give opponents fits when he is on. Josh Smith is one of the most versitile players at the forward position, he may not outscore you, but he can make the right play at the right time to fill the stat sheet.

The Hawks Doom:
Defense. They need to watch and listen to Charles Barkley's hit song featured on the T-mobile commercial, because this team plays with no defensive passion or strategy whatsoever in the game. Maybe, oh, maybe the "NBA Playoffs" logo on the floor and the fact that they are the rightful underdog in this series will inspire some defense, but from what we have seen thus far this season, that is a long goal.

Kirk Hinrich. Is is painfully unfortunate that soon-to-be-former Hawks GM Rick Sund traded two solid rotation players and the only proven veteran in the playoffs for a guy that is not going to make any significant impact whatsoever in any aspect of the game.

Heart. This team is full of questions and have-not; Is Joe Johnson worth the money? Whats wrong with Josh Smith? Is Al Horford getting the ball enough? Whats wrong with Jamal Crawford? They don't have the depth, they don't have the passion, they don't have the love and respect for the game that makes players like Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose great.

Ryan Anderson. I hope the Magic dont figure this out in this series, but the Magic "Big Three" are Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, and Ryan Anderson. Ryan Anderson has progressed into the best shooter on the team and at 6'10 he can really fill that Rashard Lewis role. He plays smart and is very unselfish, if Coach SVG can even get around to starting him at PF the Hawks will be in big trouble

The Magic Doom:
Joe Johnson. Though Joe did not have an outstanding year, the playoffs are a fresh start with hieghtened intensity. This will be Joe's 4th consecutive season leading this team to the playoffs, and none of the Magic defenders can match up with Joe physically. If he gains some resiliance and a stronger will to win, the Magic are in trouble.

Josh Smith. J-Smoove is the X factor in almost every game, he has the ability to average 20/10/5/2/2 but since he has never ever consistently played at his potential level 16/8/4/1/1 is a bit more realistic for him to actually achieve. Josh has had ONE great game in his playoffs career (2007 Eastern Conference Round 1 Game 5) if he adds another during this series, he alone can will Atlanta to a victory.

Gilbert Arenas. God Bless the heart of GM Otis Smith for making this trade, some people thought this trade would be the exact change of scenery to transform controversial Gilbert back to near-unstoppable scorer Agent Zero. Instead Gilbert got totally complecent shrunk even further into the abyss as a bit role player. Now averaging 8.3 PPG as a Magic, he has not probably set the record for the fastest fall from 30PPG superstar franchise player to bench warmer of all time.

Overall, we here at PlayoffsHawks say this is going to be a VERY exciting series, i predict at least 3 scuffles with Zaza Pachulia getting in the face of Dwight Howard at least once and also Dwight getting suspended from technical fouls for one game. In a GRUELING highly contested 7-game series, Joe Johnson puts on a superstar performance scoring 40+ points in the decisive game 7 and the Atlanta Hawks improborable move to the second round for the 3rd year in a row.

Hawks in 7

Atlanta Hawks NEED Shaq, Shaq NEEDS the Atlanta Hawks

Hello, HOTlanta. It has been a very interesting NBA off-season thus far, all the free agent players trying to put themselves in a position to win a championship almost makes you forget who actually won the 2010 championship, so before i get to the Atlanta Hawks, i would like to take a moment to congratulate the undisputed most skilled, best leader, and most clutch performer in the NBA today, Kobe Bryant and the most controversial, infamous rapper/basketball player of all time, Ron Artest and the 2010 NBA Champions the Los Angeles Lakers. Nothing else that occurred in the 2010 NBA Playoffs is relevant, well, except the obliteration called the Magic vs Hawks series, the worst 4-game sweep in NBA History, featuring one of the worst performances by any so-called "team leader" in the same amount of time. BUT, thankfully all of that is behind us, and the great anticipated free agent bananza began!

One of the first things the Atlanta Hawks franchise did to try to spell some of that embarrassment is they fired Mike Woodson. We at PlayoffsHawks were very supportive of Mike Woodson and we would have been more upset if it wasn't for the replacement of Mike Woodson with Larry Drew, that shows the team is committed to keeping the "defense, rebounding" foundation while hopefully getting the offense more fluid and more efficient. Even still, WE LOVE YOU WOODSON! Here is a youtube video a PlayoffsHawks fan made to Mike Woodson.


We, at PlayoffsHawks wonder how Joe Johnson's 12.9 ppg 29% shooting performance in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, the same 2010 Playoffs which before it began where Joe Johnson declared, "I want to show the world that we have one of the best teams and that I am one of the best players." How did this guy earn the BIGGEST CONTRACT given to ANY PLAYER in free agency? It was safe to say that Joe FAILED in that demonstration of being the best, but Joe WON with selling himself as a franchise player, somehow. Now, I understand where the Atlanta Hawks franchise is coming from, this is the guy that took us from 13-69 to 53-29 in 5 seasons with 4 all-star selections and consistent 20/5/5 regular season statistics. However, his performance in these past 2 seasons playoffs have been atrocious, last season in the clean-sweep by the now-irrelevant Cavaliers was slightly excusable because of the slight injury he suffered in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but this past playoff performance against the Orlando Magic was inexcusable.

With all of that being said, the biggest "move" made in the off-season was the"LeBron" brand "taking his talents to South Beach" and that wouldn't be so bad if the great Dwayne Wade and top 5 big Chris Bosh weren't going there with him. And at this point in free agency they've also signed Udonis Haslem, Zydrunas Ilgauskaz, Mike Miller, Carlos Arroyo, James Jones, Jamaal Maglorie and surely others are coming. What does that mean for the Atlanta Hawks? That means the Joe Johnson signing means NOTHING in a division that features thel likes of Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and G.O.A.T. player whom is now the only black majority team owner in all professional sports, Micheal Jordan. Amare Stoudamire is with the Knicks, Carlos Boozer is with the Bulls, Nate Robinson is back with the Celtics, Rudy Gay the Grizzlies, Paul Pierce the Celtics with Jermaine O'Neal, even the Bucks got Corey Maggette. Without question, the Hawks will inevitable drop in the standings and ratings if bring back the same team, the cannot possible expect to improve or stay at 53-wins in the 2010-2011 season with just Joe Johnson. If the Hawks slip into mediocrity, they will slip into irrelevancy, unless they can show some competitive fire against the NBA elite, there is one way the Hawks can undoubtedly stay relevant and have a legitimate rivalry with the division neighbors Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, because without question there is one SUPERSTAR FREE AGENT left on the market the Atlanta Hawks must sign, Shaquille O'Neal.

I cannot believe Shaquille O'Neal is getting the Allen Iverson treatment. Its a sad state of the NBA when a 4x NBA Champion, the 2000 NBA MVP, 3x NBA Finals MVP, one of the undisputed greatest multi-talented players of all time is one of the last free agents left, when he WANTS to play for a contender. Granted, he may be 38 years old, but Shaq was playing extremely well for the Cavs last season, in 23.4 MPG averaged 12 PPG 6.7 RPG 1.8 BPG which translated to 18.5 PPG 11.3 RPG 2.4 BPG per 40-minutes. Now, of course Shaq isn't gonna play 40 MPG but his value to the young Atlanta Hawks team cannot be understated, he is more than just a "savvy veteran" he is a champion AND exactly the giant personality or unstoppable skill and confidence the Hawks need to get to the next level. Plus, JOE JOHNSON NEEDS the endorsement of SHAQ to play up to the pressure of his potential, imagine if Shaq signs and says the same thing he has said about Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Steve Nash, Amare Stoudamire, and LeBron James, "I came here to play with one of the best players in the game, and to help this city win a championship." Imagine what that confidence would do for the city of Atlanta sports! Josh Smith agrees with this sentiment and expressed it in this recent quick SLAM magazine interview.

Now, there are 3 concerns fans and the team seems to have:

1. Shaq is too old
Shaquille O'Neal is 15x all-star with countless other allocades, he is 38 years old, but by no means out-of-shape. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, another one of the greatest centers of all time (maybe THE GOAT at the position) brought the Los Angeles Lakers a championship and won the 1986 NBA Finals MVP at 38 years old, and that doesn't mean Shaq is gonna dominate averaging 20/10 to do the same for Atlanta, but HE CAN, Shaq was still the 3rd most efficient center in the NBA last season, and this season with Yao Ming and Greg Oden coming back from injuries and Dwight Howard still dominating as the best center in the NBA, Shaquille O'Neal can play more than efficient defense against those guys, regardless of what he provides on offense. If anything 38-year-old Shaq can defend centers to free up offense for AL HORFORD (one of the most effecient scorers in the entire NBA ;)

2. Shaq wants to start
Of course Shaq wants to start! This is not some regular 38-year-old center, this is 7 foot 1 inches 300 pounds of muscle and power! He would be underutilized and greatly disrespected if he does not START at center.
2(b). No! Shaq can't start because we would have to put Al Horford at power forward, which is good but Josh Smith CANNOT play small forward, he isn't a good enough shooter!
First of all, if the Atlanta Hawks put Al Horford at power forward, Al Horford will DEFINETLY average approximately 20 ppg 10 rpg, his natural skill and size makes him one of the most effecient and skilled power forwards in the NBA, a Carlos Boozer-type, if you will, as a center, Al Horford is quick but undersized. With that being said, second of all, Josh Smith has been facing all types of doubt and critisizm in his game every season AND every off-season, he will continue to improve inevitably. Also, Josh Smith is ONE OF THE BEST PASSING FORWARDS IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE, he averaged 15 PPG 8 RPG 4 APG. second only to LeBron James, and 2 BPG, the ONLY PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE with those averages. Josh Smith is actually one of the NBA's most unique blends of talent and skill, the only thing people can try to critisize is his attitude, if they put Josh Smith at the small forward position, the Atlanta Hawks will have O'Neal-Horford-Smith as one of the BEST FRONTLINES IN THE LEAGUE legitimately capable of defending the Magic, Heat, or the Lakers.

3. the Hawks need payroll relief
Trade Marvin Williams. Do it. I love Marvin, i will miss him as a player and a person, but the Hawks have already mortgaged the future with Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Al Horford, those are our "Big Three" and everyone else on the roster, except for Zaza Pachulia, is expendable on our quest to win a championship. I know, Marvin is only 22 years old and an excellent defender and sometimes shows flash of offensive brilliance, he is a great blue-collar worker, rebounder, he has the potential to be a great player, which is another reason why the Hawks should trade him. Marvin Williams is never going to become a great player with the Atlanta Hawks, for the reasons which were stated above, if the Hawks were to do a sign-and-trade with Cleveland for Marvin, that would give Marvin Williams a HUGE VOID to fill left by LeBron James, and i believe strongly that Marvin Williams would step up into that starting small forward position and give that team stability that it now lacks, and it would give Marvin Williams that attention and postive regard as a player, that loyalty he feels to Atlanta, Cleveland would embrace this young guy and shower him with praise on a consistent basis, Marvin Williams would develop into a leader on that Cleveland Cavaliers team, and that would embarrass LeBron James even more (not that we care about him anyway). Its obvious that the Atlanta Hawks franchise cannot afford to keep Marvin Williams as part of its core, the Atlanta Hawks need to get bigger, not faster, if we can get the biggest personality in the NBA on his last hurrah, whether the Atlanta Hawks get to the NBA Finals or win the championship or not, it would be a victory just having him represent our city, our franchise, and mentoring our players.

One last thing, Hawks GM Rick Sund has done a good job so far, but if the Atlanta Hawks franchise does not improve its roster and financial situation, and when another team throws a boatload of cash to AL HORFORD when he is a restricted free agent next summer, and if the Hawks are NOT able to match... I will burn all of my Atlanta Hawks memorbilia and never attend another Hawks game again, Josh Smith is PlayoffsHawks favorite player, but Al Horford is the best player on the team.

and i hate to make Hawks fan cry, but i can't help but imagine....

Hawks trade Marvin Williams, Jamal Crawford, and Mike Bibby for Chris Paul and Emeka Okafor

SuperHawks route lowly Timberwolves in 'Sota, 20-7, ties best start in franchise history

26 28 27 31 | 112
17 24 28 18 | 87

recap

box score

It is such a beautiful day to be a Atlanta Hawks fan. Not too long ago, rookie Mike Woodson, Josh Smith and the Atlanta Hawks were the worst team in the league at 13-69. After 4 long years of player development and steady improvement, it seems the Hawks have taken a quantum leap into the NBA elite in this 09-10 season.

The Minnesota Timberwolves hope to emulate the Hawks' success story in the coming years. The Hawks core of Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, and Zaza Pachulia have played together for 4 seasons, and over the past 2 seasons they have added big Al Horford (3rd pick 2007 draft), Mo Evans, and Mike Bibby to their core. A couple of key role players such as Jamal Crawford (leading candidate for 6th man of the year), Jeff Teague (19th pick 2009 draft), Joe Smith (14 year veteran big), and young Randolph Morris, and the 2009-2010 Atlanta Hawks have one of the top 10-man rotations in the league.

This game was never in doubt, as the Hawks jumped out to an early lead, turning the Wolves 7 first quarter turnovers into 14 points, the Hawks ended the first quarter leading 26-17.

The Hawks did a great job of keeping the Wolves at arms length, the game never got closer than 8 in the first half, despite foul trouble with Josh Smith and Zaza Pachulia. When Smith was on the floor, he was a huge difference-maker, in 21 minutes Josh scored 10 pts (5/6 FGs) 3 rbs 3 asts 3 stls, but the biggest difference maker in this game had to be Jamal Crawford.



Just as he has been doing all season, Jamal comes off the bench to lead the team in scoring, it is amazing to see how offensively gifted this guy is, he must have one of the best pull-up jumpers in the league, and he is shooting at a career-high FG%, in this game, Jamal enters at 2:30 remaining in the 1st. The Hawks keep the lead going into the 2nd quarter and that is when the Jamal Crawford light show starts. He starts his scoring tier by hitting a 24-foot 3-pointer on an assist from Mike Bibby. The Wolves did get within 7 points on a Al Jefferson layup, but Really, the combination of Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford is getting too potent for opposing teams to handle, Joe and Jamal alternating scoring put the lead back up to 13 for a 54-41 halftime advantage.

The 2nd half had more of the same, the game was never really in doubt, but the Hawks did get a little lax defensively, allowing the Wolves to outscore them in the 3rd, 28-27, so in the 4th quarter, Joe and Jamal put the team on their back, and the most consistent player of the night had to be big Al Horford. In a game where Smith and Pachulia had 5 fouls, Horford played a game-high 41 minutes for 16 pts (7/15 FGs) 11 rbs 4 asts 2 stls 1 blk. Horford, shooting a 7th in the league best 57.8% on the floor, was great at making the right plays and playing defense, it would have been cool to see Horford with 19 rebounds, but he has the ability to get those numbers anytime.

Jamal Crawford scored 13 of his game-high 26 in the 4th quarter to put away the Wolves, including 2 back-to-back beautiful 3-pointers in the beginning of the 4th. The Wolves did battle back, but they did not get any closer than 12 as the Hawks stepped up and scored 31 4thQ points, the most of any quarter in the game for a 112-87 victory, the Timberwolves second worst defeat this season.

"We started with a bunch of babies six years ago, 18, 19, 20-year-old kids, and they've grown," coach Mike Woodson said. "The ownership has given me the latitude to continue to coach this team and our core guys have been together now four years and that makes a big difference." -Mike Woodson

"They're kind of the example of a team that got its players young," Love said of the Hawks. "They played together. They stuck together. They grinded out wins together. They had high points. They had low points. But they stuck together. ... That's something I hope I can be a part of one day." -Kevin Love

It great to see other players and teams continue to give the Hawks credit for their rise from the bottom and acknowledge the team as a top 5 team in the NBA today.

"We're trying to do something special," Woodson said.

translation: "We feel we can be the best team in basketball and maybe even win a championship"

I believe these Hawks can do it, they will at least make the conference Finals this season, but it would be a dream come true for the Hawks players coaches and especially the fans to see the Atlanta Hawks represent the East in the NBA Finals.

It can happen, stay tuned.

Denver Nuggets (19-9) tomorrow.

Hawks close out 2008 with a win on the road, Johnson 27, Smith 24

Hawks 110 Pacers 104

26 24 35 25

25 21 37 21

BOX SCORE



Yes. It has finally been said. ESPN might be coming around to the Hawks this season, people.

First, we were gifted with a ESPN DAILY DIME feature, realistically predicting the Hawks to win 50 games, there was even a national poll taken, and 67% believe the Hawks can do it.



"What can you say? Joe has been huge for us this season, I put him in the same class as LeBron, Kobe -- he's playing at that level. He's making big plays for our team, he's making players around him better." ---Coach Mike Woodson



That is not the quote of a coach saying some nice things about his best player to the media to make him feel good, that's the truth in the NBA that very few realize. Joe knows:



"I don't get treated like that, but I feel like I'm up there in the elite," Johnson said.



If not one of the elite, at least one of the most clutch scorers in the NBA, Joe scored 12 points in the 4th on his way to 27 pts (9/21 FGs 2/6 3pt FGs 7/8 FTs) 7 rbs 5 asts, Josh Smith was great defensively as usual, but was also great offensively, hitting BIG free throws in a close game, scoring 24 pts (7/13 FGs 10/14 FTs) 6 rbs 3 asts 1 blk, but no big, especially not the one he jumped against (7'2 Roy Hibbert - 13 minutes, 0 pts 0 rbs) played bigger than Al Horford. Even with pesky Troy Murphy and Jeff Foster getting 12+ rebounds, Al Horford scored 12 pts (4/8 FGs 4/6 FTs) 14 rbs 2 asts 2 blks. Mike Bibby played about his average, except for his under-average 3pt shooting, 14 pts (5/14 FGs 1/6 3pt FGs 4/4 FTs) 5 rbs 6 asts. Marvin Williams didn't score alot of points, but was more than formidable against the scoring machine Danny Granger, Marvin scored 9 pts (3/10 FGs 1/3 FGs 2/2 FTs) 6 rbs 2 stls.



Our bench was big again, even though Acie Law wasn't part of it, again. ZaZa scored 9 pts 5 rbs, Mo Evans hit 2 big threes for 6 pts 3 rbs, and Flip made a few driving layups for 8 pts 2 rbs 2 asts.



I am an extremely optimistic, but not unrealistic Hawks fan, and even i am pleasantly suprised by the New Year record, 21-10, now let's see how we improve in 2009!

Hawks narrowly avoid loss against Knicks, Josh Smith birthday

Hawks 98 Knicks 95
30 25 16 24
31 17 26 24

Happy 23rd Josh Smith! We felt this was gonna be a great game with the style the Knicks play and the return of forward Al Harrington against our Al Horford and Josh Smith. The result was not pretty in the first half, Harrington scored 20 pts on 8/12 shooting, but Atlanta was leading 57-55. the Hawks buckled down on defense in the 3rd quarter, but it looked like their offense went with it, holding the Knicks to 16 pts in the 3rd, the Hawks only scored 17. The 4th quarter, the Hawks gave the ball to their 2 best playmakers Josh Smith and Joe Johnson, we are still waiting for Josh to become the great offensive playmaker he can be, especially if he would, i dunno, take 60% of his shots in the paint, he could be an unguardable player at the power forward position, but he scored 16 pts (6/12 FGs 1/5 3pt FGs 3/5 FTs) 8 rbs 5 asts. Joe Johnson scored 17 pts (8/17 FGs 1/7 3pt FGs) 5 rbs 7 asts, and Marvin Williams was the leading scorer of the game with 18 pts (7/14 FGs 0/2 3pt FGs 4/4 FTs) 4 rbs 3 stls.

Its good to see Al Harrington reminice and respect the progress the Hawks made since his departure, he was always a class act for the hawks, he'll be a fine 2-year-rental for the Knicks.

Hawks surely didn't play their best in this win, they know it and they'd better learn from it before facing Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas.

STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Marvin Williams, PF	38	7-14	0-2	4-4	0	4	4	0	3	0	1	1	18
Josh Smith, PF	35	6-12	1-5	3-5	0	8	8	5	0	2	2	3	16
Al Horford, C	29	5-7	0-0	4-5	3	6	9	1	1	0	0	0	14
Joe Johnson, SG	44	8-17	1-7	0-0	0	5	5	7	1	0	6	2	17
Mike Bibby, PG	37	4-14	2-8	0-0	1	5	6	9	1	0	2	0	10
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Maurice Evans, SF	28	5-10	1-4	0-0	2	2	4	0	2	0	2	2	11
Ronald Murray, SG	16	4-6	0-0	2-3	1	3	4	1	0	0	2	1	10
Zaza Pachulia, C	13	0-0	0-0	2-4	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	2	2

No Redd, Bogut, Hawks beat Bucks at Phillips Arena

Hawks 102 Bucks 96
24 24 19 29
28 20 23 31

BOX SCORE

Joe wanted to rebound well from the lowest scoring effort surrendered all season, and he did it not by scoring 30 points, but by scoring wisely, assisting well, and leading in every since of the word his team to victory with 15 points, 9 assists.

Al Horford led Hawks scoring with 21 points(9/12 FGs, 3/5 FTs), 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists, 2 steals, he has been outstanding in the absence of Josh, Mike Bibby was good as usual, 18 points (6/14 FGs 4/9 3pt FGs 2/4 FTs) 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and Marvin Williams had an idential stat line, but a more efficient 18 points (4/8 FGs 1/3 3pt FGs 9/10 FTs) 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks.

"Flip-Switch" Murray was ON tonight after having been OFF for the past 3 games, although Mo Evans always steps up if and when Flip is OFF, and even some games where Flip is ON Mo plays big off the bench, we are going to soon start counting how many games we have both Flip and Mo is double figures, Sekou calls them "FlipMO Squad"

Busta Rhymes said no, lol.

In other news, this was the reunion of the the Hawks and Tyronne Lue, in which tried so hard to play well against his old number 10, Mike Bibby, but Bibby showed exactly why he was traded for, and why the Hawks were never successful with Lue, in that game. The Hawks are winning, and Hawks are being expected to win certain games and winning, this is such a far cry from even just last season, let alone the 2 seasons previous, even though Mike Woodson has been a fool more often than not in his head coaching career with the Hawks, but he deserves some credit this season, seriously, if the Hawks win 50 games, Mike Woodson Coach of the Year.

see you in Toronto.

Al Horford DOMINATES the Bulls in career-high scoring night; Hawks remain perfect

Now You Know, ESPN

Beautiful, virtuoso performance by the REAL 2007 Rookie of the Year, how upset are people gonna be as he continues to improve and people review his resume and wonder WHY he didn't win Rookie of the Year, and no disrespect to the player that won, but why would the NBA do that for a franchise that wasn't going to exist anymore anyway..?

Hawks 113 Bulls 108
26 29 29 29
22 30 22 34

Al Horford knows that with Josh Smith out of the lineup, he must be the defensive anchor on the team. He also knew he was more than capable to have big scoring nights, and he felt that itch from the tip with Gator-buddy Joakim Noah.

In the first quarter, Al Horford went to work immedietely on Tyrus Thomas, scores. Going to work against Joakim Noah, scores, going against Aaron Gray, scores + the foul, by the end of the first quarter Al Horford had 8 pts 3 rbs 3 blks. He continued his onslaught in Karl Malone-fashion, gobbling up rebounds, getting putbacks, making free throws, after halftime the score was 55-52, AL Horford had 16 pts 7 rbs 5 blks.

Mike Bibby also had a great game,scoring the first basket of the second half on an assist by Joe Johnson, did anybody see that running off-the-backboard layup by Marvin Williams in the beginning of the 3rdQ? That was impressive



FLIP MURRAY

MO EVANS

NBA.COM HAWKS VS BULLS RECAP

ESPN.COM RECAP

Hawks thrash Magic in Southeast Division home opener, 99-85

This is the clearest indication that the Atlanta Hawks are serious this year. the "Shock the World" theme is going to be the main phrase throughout the year and through the playoffs. Could it be? Could the Hawks be "good" this season? It sure doesn't look like a team that just made the playoffs on luck and have made no progress, the Hawks are a style-diverse team that can create

the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic played the first game of the season at Amway Arena in Orlando, and the Hawks trumped the Magic 99-85. The reason we say "thumped" or "crushed" or "dominated" is because the game was never even close after the first quarter.

In the first quarter, Orlando struggled early, making only three of its first 18 shots.

The Hawks dominated on the boards early, and held the Magic without a point for nearly six minutes near the end of the first quarter in building a 23-8 lead. Rashard Lewis, Micheal Pietrus and backup point guard Anthony Johnson, keyed a second quarter run that cut Atlanta’s halftime lead to 47-40, but that was as close as the Magic got in the game.

The Hawks exploded out the gate in the 3rd quarter to a 27-15 scoring advantage, which made the score 74-55 going into the 4th, and the Hawks' Joe Johnson made sure the Hawks kept the lead with his 10 points in the 4th quarter as the Hawks won 99-85.

STATS

Josh Smith - 17 pts 10 rbs 5 blks 4 stls

Joe Johnson - 25 pts 7 rbs 2 asts

Dwight Howard - 22 pts 15 rbs 5 blks

Out of every NBA basketball "expert" or "analyst" only 3 writers of ESPN picked the Hawks to make the playoffs, Chris Broussard, Jalen Rose, and Chris Sheridan, and only Scoop Jackson was brave enough to go against the grain and pick the Hawks to win the Southeast division. Now, even we at PlayoffsHawks don't know about the Hawks getting a better record than the Magic, but i know we are capable of being better than the Wizards, Heat, and BOBCATS, whom will probably be the worst team in the league this season for Larry Brown to finally retire permanently. We could really challenge the Magic for the division title, then maybe THEN people might start noticing the Hawks are good.

Hawks burn Shaq-led Suns, looking sharp

100-96 Hawks

Marvin Williams scored 19 points (6/12 FGs 3/5 3pt FGs 4/4 FTs) 6 rebounds 4 assists 2 steals, Josh Smith had 18 (6/10 FGs 0/2 3pt FGs 6/11 FTs) 3 rebounds 1 assist and 1 block and the Atlanta Hawks spoiled Terry Porter's debut as Phoenix coach, rallying to beat the Suns 100-96 Wednesday night.

It was the second victory in two exhibition games for the Hawks, who also defeated Orlando on Monday.

It was a great and balanced effort, despite a dismal 1-9 shooting display by Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson was good, 14 points (5/10 FGs 2/3 3pt FGS 2/2 FTs) Al Horford was beast as usual, Coach Woodson had to tame him a lil' more than the other starters, 22 minutes, but he registered 10 points (5/6 FGs) 6 rebounds.

Shaquille O'Neal showed his championship dominance in minimal minutes, people hate on O'Neal for a plethora of reasons from his outgoing, goofy personality, to his perceived ego, or rapper swagger which he still shows from time to time (loved the Kobe freestyle, just jokes) but these Suns with Terry Porter are going to be a real contender even against or ESPECIALLY against the Lakers in the playoffs, but they will have to improve in 3 point shooting or they will become a lottery team, fans would leave and Steve Nash will become a free agent only to sign with the Spurs to try to win a championship...if these Suns don't start hitting three pointers, that's all i'm saying.














Good Game, i will reiterate my prediction, if the Atlanta Hawks go undefeated in this pre-season, i guarentee they will win 47-50 games this season, Bet.

Hawks start Training Camp with new Swagger

With pictures snapping during the start of the 2008-2009 season training camp, there was a new air among the players. Excitement, condidence, and high expectations flowed in communication verbally and physically, especially the starting lineup of this season's Hawks.

Mike Bibby - Joe Johnson - Marvin Williams - Josh Smith - Al Horford

We at playoffshawks have already analyzed the performances of each player induvidually and collectively last season, many other atlanta sports writers have done the same in more statistical detail, but now it is time for their play to speak for itself. I had a vision of the 08-09 Hawks playing like a well oiled machine, like the 04 Championship Pistons, no one-two scoring option, no LeBron, more like everybody plays in-synch and shares the ball, no one cares to average 20 pts or be the leading scorer, everyone just wants to win, sort of like the 08 Celtics... Now, NO ONE is suggesting the Hawks will go 66-16 this season and win the championship (that would probably cause The Rapture, and the world would surely come to an end), but this Hawks team is capable of winning 47 games, +10 improvement from last season, only a few things are dependant on that occuring this season:

1. DO NOT trade Mike Bibby at mid-season. We all know Bibby is an expirer, but for the love of God do not treat these players like just product. We all understand this is a business, and we all want to improve the team, but chemistry and leadership are the main ingridients to a championship, and though the Hawks may or may not even get to the Finals with this core, it is not outside the realm of possibility with Mike Bibby. Play Bibby the whole season, then decide whether not to give a extention, or let him go and sign another great, better point guard.

2. Josh Smith's leadership.

3. Joe Johnson's consistency.

4. Al Horford's swagger

5. Marvin Williams' continued development.

6. Bench

7. Coach

2008-2009 Season Preview, Atlanta Hawks, Eastern Conference Assessment Predictions

Southeastern Division:





Orlando Magic ( 52-30)


The Orlando Magic are better this season than they've ever been and the Magic are the #2 seed in the eastern conference and a legitimate championship contender at least the eastern conference. Alot of people are feeling that Micheal Pietrus, a 6-6 G/F with GS last season, will not be a significant upgrade over Maurice Evans. I think that Pietrus will be at least as good as Evans and start at SG to add stability to their team, consistent shooting and slashing ability that will make requirement-doubling Dwight Howard a big price to pay, if he learns to hit his free throws(68.6% FTs). Courtney Lee will be a good player, he will probably play sparingly, but will score and play defense. and Anthony Johnson is a highly underrated 34 year old point guard, he was always a veteran leader on the hawks and played strong and clutch down the stretch of those few and far wins, and he hasn't slowed down a bit, playing big minutes for the Magic. Kenyon Dooling was a decent guard (not PG) who could shoot but he was always a additude problem and felt he was better than he was, the Magic will not miss him, and the other best bench player, Kieth Bogans will be better in his place. Rashard Lewis (31) will be better, Hedu Turkoglu(29) will play better but score less points than last season, and Jameer Nelson(25) will be the Derek Fisher point guard leader, scoring and passing well, hitting free throws, and making good decisions.


and this is all outside the gold-medal DWIGHT HOWARD factor, whom will average
25.5 ppg 14.9 rpg 2.5 asts 2.1 blks 60.1% FGs 67.2% FTs
being the team leader offensively and defensively to make him an MVP candidate






Washington Wizards (50-32)
Gilbert Arenas is never going to stop talking, his perspective is one of the realist voices and he is one wildest personalities in the NBA, but his game is about to talk alot louder than he will. Gilbert Arenas is still the man on that team, he is going to adjust his game to fascilitate and score as great as he knows he can, but it all starts with GILBERT, it all depends on him if he can make the BIG three of Caron Butler, Antwan Jamison, and Agent Zero ALL all-stars and have their best season in franchise history, and the pieces around those three aren't too bad either. Deshawn Stevenson kept us entertained while Gilbert was gone, he made himself an important role player on this team, and now he has to adjust his play with Gilbert, he should score a little less but still hit make big plays and get Gilbert the ball for big shots. The young boys of the Wizards are gonna improve and play big minutes this season, Nick Young and Andrey Blatche. Blatche is already really underrated as a 22-year-old 6-11 small forward matchup nightmare on offense or defense, he is going to play more with 23-year-old Nick Young, the second year ROY contender. Brenden Haywood will be solid as usual, Etan Thomas is back so we hope they don't fist fight again, but if they share the center they'll both be solid, we're pretty dure Antonio Daniels is still there, but we don't care because in order for this team to be great its going to take the following:


Gilbert Arenas - 25.5 ppg 4.3 rpg 6.4 apg 44.3% FGs 36.7% 3pt FGs 80.1% FTs
Caron Butler - 20.3 ppg 5.6 rpg 3.4 apg 46.1% FGs 27.3% 3pt FGs 83.4% FTs
Antwan Jamison - 17.4 ppg 9.3 rpg 2.1 apg 45.3% FGs 36.4% 3pt FGs 74.2% FTs


Miami Heat (30-52)


Dwayne Wade is (probably) the best guard player in the NBA, he could very well be the second coming of Micheal Jordan, score 35 ppg this season, and lead the NBA-worst, used-to-be-champion Miami Heat to respectability and playoffs in 2009. Problem is, if he does he will need Jamaal Magloire and Udonis Haslem to play defense, the rookies, Mario Chalmers and Micheal Beasley to play their role, and James Jones to hit threes off the bench, i.e James Posey. And they can do it, maybe Micheal Beasley is as good as some say he is, he could average 17 pts 7 rbs and be the Rookie of the year, maybe Shawn Marion won't get traded even though he and Beasley are the same man Marion will play PF and average 17 pts 10 rbs, Jamaal Magloire will be reborn at 30 and averag 9 pts 9 rbs and Mario Chalmers starts and is rookie of the year candidate with Beasley averaging 10 pts 4 rbs 5 asts, i.e Rajon Rondo. Maybe James Jones is a 6th man of the year candidate and averages 10 pts off the bench and leads the league in 3pt FG%, maybe Alonzo Mourning DOESN'T get bought out to play for a real contender, and plays backup to Jamaal Magloire or Mark Blount......and plays his heart(no pun) out.


But in order for any of this to be a possibility, it all starts with gold medal Dwayne Wade, being the best PER player in the league and a likely MVP award winner averaging

Dwayne Wade - 33.4 ppg 5.4 rpg 5.4 apg 52.4% FGs 32.3% 3pt FGs 85.1% FTs

Charlotte Bobcats (27-55)




Sigh. Micheal Jordan, Larry Brown, and Bob Johnson is a train wreck in immediate unfolding. This is a team that looks good on the surface but when the surface is seen through you realize that this is a franchise that has not yet achieved respectability yet. Larry Brown is going to prove himself as a curse to young teams and give this franchise its worst record since its first year in business. D.J Augustine is a good player, but he will not be good until and only until he leaves that situation, he and Raymond Felton are going to beef, Adam Morrison is going to play big minutes and Gerald Wallace is going to demand a trade. Jason Richardson will remain good, averaging 20 ppg, but in the attempted development of Adam Morrison, Richardson will take less control of the team and turn Vince Carter, just not caring. Now, the focal point of the defense, and maybe one day the offense, Emeka Okafor, will also play up to his contract, he may have a career year, and he is the deciding factor on whether or not the Bobcats will completely suck or just be bad, if he's good (15 ppg 10 rpg) the Bobcats will only be bad, but its set in stone, the Bobcats will be at least bad. Sorry, fans.


Emeka Okafor - 15.2 ppg 10.1 rpg 2.1 bpg 52.1% FGs 67.8% FTs
Jason Richardson - 18.7 ppg 5.1 rpg 3.2 apg 44.3% FGs 38.1% 3pt FGs 71.2% FTs
Gerald Wallace - 16.2 ppg 7.1 rpg 2.1 apg 1.8 spg 43.2% FGs 78.2% FTs



THE Atlanta Hawks (47-35)




The Atlanta Hawks, its our year baby. I speak as a general basketball fan first, knowledge and realistic expectation second, and hometown fan bias last. And with that being said, i think the Hawks are going to increase their win total by at least 8, but im betting 10, and i'm going to explain why. The Atlanta Hawks spent the first 20 games of the season, tinkering with the lineup, trying to find the best players for positions and matchups, often Anthony Johnson and Tyronne Lue started at PG, when the Hawks got Bibby, they were 22-28. They took some getting used to on the road, when the Hawks went 4-11 before their first winning streak finished 11-7 for a 37-45 record and the #8 seed in the 'Leastern Conference'.This season, the starting center is no rookie, the PG situation is not unstable, joe johnson will not be injured and Josh Smith, the leader offensively and defensively for this team will have his best season yet again. Mike Bibby will be the good PG consistently the Hawks have lacked since Jason Terry, he will be the leader to improve his teammates with passing first, scoring second. Joe Johnson is livid he wasn't chosen to be on Team USA, he will play consistently great like he always has, and be a third time all-star this year.


Mike Bibby - 14.5 ppg 4.5 rpg 6.5 apg 46.3% FGs 37.4% 3pt FGs 78.9% FTs
Joe Johnson - 20.3 ppg 4.2 rpg 5.2 apg 48.4% FGs 39.7% 3pt FGs 82.1% FTs
Marvin Williams - 12.2 ppg 5.2 rpg 2.3 apg 43.1% FGs 32.3% 3pt FGs 76.4% FTs
Josh Smith - 20.8 ppg 9.2 rpg 3.3 apg 3.1 bpg 2.1 spg 48.9% FGs 33.7% 3pt FGs 81.3% FTs
Al Horford - 14.2 ppg 10.4 rpg 2.1 apg 1.4 bpg 1.2 spg 51.4% FGs 80.1% FTs
bench

Maurice Evans 8.7 ppg 3.2 rpg 3.2 apg
Flip Murray 6.5 ppg 2.3 rpg 2.1 apg
Zaza Pachulia 5.1 ppg 4.8 rpg
Acie Law IV 4.2 ppg 3.2 apg
Jeremy Richarson 2.3 ppg
Randolph Morris 1.4 ppg 2.2 rpg



Southeast Division:

Orlando Magic (52-30)
Washington Wizards (50-32)
Miami Heat (30-52)
Charlotte Bobcats (27-55)
Atlanta Hawks (47-35)






Atlantic Division:

Boston Celtics (58-24)
Toronto Raptors (48-34)
Philiadelphia 76ers (50-32)
New York Knicks (24-58)
New Jersey Nets (18-64)



Central Division:

Chicago Bulls (44-38)
Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31)
Detroit Pistons (48-34)
Indiana Pacers (30-52)
Milwalkee Bucks (40-42)





1.celtics
2. magic
3. cavs
4. wizards
5. 76ers
6. pistons
7. raptors
8. hawks

GM Rick Sund signs Flip Murray, Atlanta Hawks starting to look like a team...

its a beautiful day in sports worldwide, the most beautiful sports event ever is in full effect, as is basketball for the USA and the NBA off-season

team usa is dominating in every game (except australia, we'll get them back later), it's too bad we didn't see Childress play with Greece to be dominated with the rest of them, that would make him home sweet home real soon, lol, but i hope Josh Childress is the star player and MVP of that team and league, so when he comes back to the hawks it would be monumental

the hawks are moving on without Childress for now though, GM Rick Sund continuing to explore the free agent market and make good decisions. GM Rick Sund recently signed Flip Murray, a 6'3 combo guard who played well in indiana and detroit, to be a veteran leader, scorer off the bench. Mike Woodson and Flip are on one accord (for now) and the hawks team is looking very strong for this upcoming season. There had been questions of team chemistry in the past, urgenct contract matters of important parts of the team and organization were rightfully a concern, after the resignation of the man that drafted and traded for all of the current hawks players of today, we chose someone we felt could make good decisions for the organization and team, and even though we have gone through the ludacris of Josh Childress, there seems to be some method to the madness after all.

This is a realistic opinion prediction of the Atlanta Hawks and the Southeast Division, i am a hawks blogger that believes Josh Smith is the best player on the team, Mike Woodson is the man for the job (for now) and the Hawks could win 45+ games this upcoming season, realisticly.

Southeast Division Alalysis:

Orlando Magic

Washington Wizards

Miami Heat

Charlotte Bobcats

this is actually going to be detailed analysis of the atlanta hawks of this season, , all factors considered:

coach Mike Woodson the hawks are better defensively than they have ever been, they play with a new confidence and swagger they gained in the playoffs, great home record, but also impressively winning on the road against teams that aren't supposed to lose to the hawks at home, earning the hawks some respect. believe it or not, Mike Woodson is not that bad. he actually has the favor and some respect of some of his players, and this team wants to be a defensive force, and believe it or not, mike was an intricate part of 04 Detroit Pistons championship defensive identity, hey if Doc Rivers can do it why not mike?

predicted team record : 47-35

Joe Johnson3x all-star

previous season stats: 21.7 ppg 4.5 rpg 5.8 apg 43.2% FGs 38.1% 3pt FGs 83.4% FTs

joe johnson is the leader of this team, mr. consistent has proven to be a top 10 SG in this league and one of the best all-around players in the nba. he improved hisp lay this season by increasing his FG and 3pt % by taking less shots and better shots, also formed a dynamic duo with Josh Smith, making plays for each other in the games, making opponents pay for double teaming him.
predicted next season stats: 20.2 pts 5.0 rbs 5.5 asts 48.2% FGs 40.1% 3pt FGs 85% FTs

Josh Smithall-star. dpoy.

previous season stats:17.2 ppg 8.2 rpg 3.4 apg 2.8 bpg 1.5 spg 45.9% FGs 25.3% 3pt FGs 71.1% FTs
Joshes improved shot selection and free throw shooting is what game him his first all-star selection and his continued improvement, focus on defense is what got him his first defensive player of the year award. after continuing to make his place in nba history as the first forward to average 3 bpg of all-time, and having an unstoppable in-the-paint game, josh also improved his game by being able to hit that 12-15 foot jumpshot, and he improved his 3pt shooting percentage, rightfully leading this young hawks team defensively and offensively.

predicted next season stats: 22.2 pts 8.3 rbs 3.0 asts 3.1 blks 2.1 stls 48.4% FGs 34.7% 3pt FGs 80.4% FTs

Al Horford

previous season stats: 10.1 ppg 9.7 rpg 1.5 apg 49.9% FGs 73.4% FTs

al horford and josh smith make the defensive identity of this hawks team, horford was one of the best rookies in the league last season and he proves his elite status in the east with improved play on both ends of the court, still playing the center position he has improved his jumpshot and led the hawks in scoring in 10 games this season, he is the leading rebounder on the team and 6th in rebounding in the league

predicted next season stats: 16.5 pts 11.3 rbs 2.0 asts 2.0 blks 50.4% FGs 82.1% FTs

Mike Bibbyprevious season stats: 13.9 ppg 3.5 rpg 6.0 apg 41.1% FGs 37.5% 3pt FGs 78.1% FTs

mike bibby is a solid point guard with good descision making skills, he has evolved as a passer because he elects to be more of a distributing PG first, scoring second. bibby is in the final year of his contract and he knows he wont be kept by the hawks so he is doing the best he can to help them win this season and in the post-season
predicted next season stats: 14.1 pts 4.1 rbs 6.2 asts 44.4% FGs 33.7% 3pt FGs 78.4% FTs

Marvin Williamsprevious season stats: 14.8 ppg 5.7 rpg 1.7 apg 46.2% FGs 10.1% 3pt FGs 82.2% FTs

marvin williams is a very bad player, he is very ackward inconsistent with no real specialty to his game, unless you consider a 12 foot jumpshot a specialty. he takes a step back this season with the improved play of josh smith and lack of josh childress, marvins minutes decline and so does his overall contribution to the team, he is not expected to be retained in the 09 off-season
predicted next season stats: 12.2 pts 4.3 rbs 2.1 asts 43.2% FGs 31.2% 3pt FGs

bench

Maurice Evans

previous season stats: 9.0 ppg 3.0 rpg 1.0 apg 48.1% FGs 38.8% 3pt FGs 71.2% FTs
mo evans turned out to be a great signing, bringing experienced veteran leadership, poise, and good shooting to the team, he is the teams 2nd most accurate 3 pt shooter, something childress could not provide, and he scores just as many points
predicted next season stats: 10.1 pts 3.1 rbs 2.3 asts 45.2% FGs 37.4 3pt FGs 78.3% FTs

Flip Murray

previous season stats: 9.4 ppg 2.0 rpg 3.5 apg 42.1% FGs 31.1% 3pt FGs 69.4% FTs
Flip Murray is pretty good for our team, he doesn't play as often because of his combo guard style of play, he is a pretty good scorer though, his veteran leadership is appreciated
predicted next season stats: 6.0 pts 2.1 rbs 1.3 asts

Acie Law IV

previous season stats: 4.2 ppg 2.1 apg

Acie Law wanted to really redeem himself this season, he did okay as the primary backup to mike bibby, but due to he splitting time with speedy claxton he did not get consistent minutes, acie law continues to be frustrated, he will be even more frustrated when bibby leaves and we sign someone else to be the starting pg
predicted next season stats: 6.1 pts 2.3 rbs 3.1 asts

Zaza Pachulia

previous season stats:
5.2 ppg 4.2 rpg

ZaZa is an intrigal part of this Hawks bench, he is our token foreign big man from the great republic of georgia, after being devestated by the war in his country, and due to the swagger shown in the playoffs, he is a fan favorite, and always brings aggresive play and good plays
predicted next season stats: 6.4 pts 6.5 rbs 2.3 asts 47.2% FGs 81% FTs

Randolph Morrisprevious season stats: irrelevent

this is a learning experience for morris, he is competing from the bench to be the starting center for the team when marvin leaves, he must lose alot of weight and become a more skilled passer, shot-blocker first, he will need to be a diop type enforcer center, not expected to be a scorer
predicted next season stats: 4.5 pts 3.4 rbs 1.1 blks

Jeremy Richardson
previous season stats:
Jeremy is a good role bench player, he is a SG/SF scorer, he is a good shooter, free throws, 3 pts, driving to the basket, and even a good defensive player
predicted next season stats:

Speedy Claxton
summer league stats:
predicted next season stats:


in conclusion, i am highlighting this hawks team because i see a eastern conference contender in the making, we got our big three, good PG (for now) and good center in the making, what will become one of the best benches in the league, i can see this occuring